Westminster Dog Show: Trumpet the Bloodhound Wins Best in Show
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Trumpet, a magnificently be-wrinkled and be-jowled bloodhound from Illinois, won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Wednesday night, nosing out a tough crowd of competitors that included a fluffy Samoyed, a silky Maltese and an all-business German shepherd.
Posing before a massive silver cup and a slew of ribbons in the traditional champion’s post-victory glamour shoot, Trumpet had little to say. But he looked every inch the champion, his lugubrious face and quizzical air for some reason adding to, rather than detracting from, his dignity. He is the first bloodhound to win Westminster.
“I was shocked,” Heather Buehner, Trumpet’s handler, said.
“There were seven beautiful dogs in that ring. You know, I feel like sometimes a bloodhound might be a little bit of an underdog. So I was absolutely thrilled.”
Shockingly, she said, Trumpet competed in his first dog show in January.
Second place, or Best in Show Reserve in the parlance of Westminster, was awarded to a winsome French bulldog named Winston.
The show, traditionally held in the winter at Madison Square Garden, was moved for pandemic-related reasons to Lyndhurst, a country estate here, for a second year in a row. The preliminary rounds were held in outdoor rings and the group and Best in Show rounds were staged in a large tent filled with a small but enthusiastic number of dog fanciers.
It was hardly the same as a typical year, though the familiar sound of Frank Sinatra singing “New York, New York” filled the suburban air at the end of the evening. Back in Midtown, about 25 miles south, the Empire State Building lit up in purple in recognition of the dog show.
With his lumbering gait and ponderous manner, Trumpet, who is 4 years old, was not necessarily the first choice of spectators who seemed to be drawn to showier, more effervescent dogs. The largest cheers of the evening were reserved for Striker, a charismatic and blindingly white Samoyed who was one of the seven group winners.
Striker reached the finals last year, too, only to lose to a tiny Pekingese named Wasabi.
But Trumpet had that special something that champion dogs have. And he comes from winning stock. His great-grandfather, Trigger, once held the record for the dog with the longest ears, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Trigger’s right ear was 13.75 inches long; his left was 13.5 inches long.
June 22, 2022, 11:14 p.m. ET
Trumpet exudes the quiet confidence of a born champion. No excessive celebration. Just get the hardware and move onto the next.
June 22, 2022, 11:12 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
This competition is brutal. No sooner do you lose, then you’re hustled off stage as quickly as you (and your dog) can move.
June 22, 2022, 11:12 p.m. ET
In an upset (to this group of armchair experts who all fell in love with a big fluffy white dog named Striker), Trumpet the bloodhound took care of the competition and won Best in Show. An amazing performance.
June 22, 2022, 11:10 p.m. ET
These four bow-tied gentlemen have nontrivial barbershop quartet energy.
June 22, 2022, 11:10 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
And it’s the … BLOODHOUND!
June 22, 2022, 11:10 p.m. ET
Sound the Trumpet!
June 22, 2022, 11:08 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
Winston, the French bulldog, wins Reserve Best in Show.
June 22, 2022, 11:08 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
Also the judge is dressed in black tie, very classy.
June 22, 2022, 11:07 p.m. ET
The judge will first announce Reserve Best in Show, the runner-up.
June 22, 2022, 11:07 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
I believe the judge is ready to make a decision!
June 22, 2022, 11:04 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
I’m quite partial to the bloodhound, because I met him in person a few hours ago.
June 22, 2022, 11:07 p.m. ET
What a mournful face! As if he thinks Winston is sure to win.
June 22, 2022, 11:03 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
The German shepherd handler just threw what appeared to be a dog treat at one of the other handlers.
June 22, 2022, 11:04 p.m. ET
The most dastardly mind games since the heckling Malamute.
June 22, 2022, 11:04 p.m. ET
Was it an aggressive throw? A helpful throw? We need this toss characterized.
June 22, 2022, 11:02 p.m. ET
Hollywood the Maltese is a local favorite! Her hometown Hastings-on-Hudson is just down the road from Tarrytown.
June 22, 2022, 11:01 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
It all comes down to the judge, who has to decide which of these dogs best embodies the breed standard, as set by the American Kennel Club. Among other things, he has to know what the breed standards are — how their ears are meant to be set, how they are meant to look when they run, what sort of coat they have. That’s a lot of memorizing.
June 22, 2022, 11:01 p.m. ET
I might bet on the Bloodhound. I doubt Winston the Bulldog will get the top prize — too reminiscent of the judge’s own dog. How will he wrestle with concerns about even the perception of favoritism?
June 22, 2022, 11:02 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
I worry that he will pretend he’s putting his feelings aside, but succumb to them in the end.
June 22, 2022, 10:58 p.m. ET
“Belle” is definitely the favorite of headline writers who prefer an easy pun.
June 22, 2022, 10:56 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
The bloodhound wins the Wrinkliest award.
June 22, 2022, 10:55 p.m. ET
A fun twist would be if the Best in Show judge turned out to be a cat.
June 22, 2022, 10:55 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
You’re okay, right?
June 22, 2022, 10:53 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
Bets, anyone? Which dog do you like for the win?
June 22, 2022, 10:54 p.m. ET
Striker, or we riot.
June 22, 2022, 10:55 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
Striker!!
June 22, 2022, 10:56 p.m. ET
Fans of Striker will want to immediately follow Boomer the Landcloud on all social media.
June 22, 2022, 11:12 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
Do we riot now?
June 22, 2022, 10:53 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
Remember that these dogs aren’t being judged for how fuzzy, floofy, goofy, happy or drooly they are, or for who has, say, the floppiest ears or the winsome expression. (Or for whether or not they are border terriers.) It doesn’t matter if you like what they look like! They just need to embody their own breed perfectly, or as near to perfection as possible.
June 22, 2022, 10:52 p.m. ET
It does seem like every Brooklynite’s dream to judge something on a massive scale.
June 22, 2022, 10:52 p.m. ET
MM, a Lakeland terrier, won the terrier group title. MM, which has fur covering its forehead that looks as if it’s impending vision, is the fifth Lakeland terrier to win the group. MM stood out among 31 other terriers, the largest of any of the groups competing on Wednesday night.
The terrier group has dominated Westminster, with 47 Best in Show winners, the most of any other group. This is the first group victory by a Lakeland terrier in over 40 years, with the last win coming in 1980.
If MM wins Best in Show, it will be the second terrier win in the last four Westminster shows, and the first overall win by a Lakeland terrier since 1976.
June 22, 2022, 10:48 p.m. ET
Okay, middlebrow (at best) programming suggestion: Shouldn’t the “Best In Show” round include custom entrance music for each competitor? Like fighters entering the ring to “Eye of the Tiger” or whatever?
June 22, 2022, 10:52 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
They’d all be fighting over rights to “Who Let the Dogs Out.”
June 22, 2022, 10:48 p.m. ET
Samoyed, mentally and physically ready.
June 22, 2022, 10:47 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
I can’t tell you how many times the fighter pilots in “Top Gun 2” are referred to as “the best of the best.” That is exactly what the announcer here has just called the seven group winners, who are just about the enter the ring for the final showdown.
June 22, 2022, 10:41 p.m. ET
Pajama, my Persian cat, has officially lost interest and has retired to the bedroom, where she is currently sleeping on a pillow.
June 22, 2022, 10:44 p.m. ET
Pajama may simply be getting mentally ready for the final competition.
June 22, 2022, 10:44 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
I for one would welcome a photo of Pajama, since I sort of feel that I know her already. (Despite having never met her in person.) Could we see a photo , please?
June 22, 2022, 10:44 p.m. ET
Here’s a glimpse of her usual sangfroid:
June 22, 2022, 10:44 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
She, too, is playing Wordle, or at least the cat version.
June 22, 2022, 10:47 p.m. ET
I like to think Pajama the Persian and Wasabi the Pekingese would get along splendidly.
June 22, 2022, 10:41 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
The judge, Donald Sturz, who in his non-dog life is a school superintendent on Long Island, said he has spent the last few days sequestered in his hotel room — so that he can arrive in the ring not knowing which dogs he will encounter. That adds to the thrill and surprise of it all, he said.
June 22, 2022, 10:36 p.m. ET
Tonight’s Best in Show judge — the kingmaker — is “a delegate to the American Kennel Club for the Poodle Club of America,” as well as a member of the Bull Terrier Club of America. His own dogs are a Frenchie and a Bull Terrier. Let’s see how his personal favorites fare.
June 22, 2022, 10:30 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
We’ve already been here for 3 1/2 hours, but it barely feels longer than 12 hours.
June 22, 2022, 10:27 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
One of the more fascinating parts of this process is how the owners and the dogs stand in line waiting for the judge to choose them, like pickup basketball players or contestants on “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette.”
June 22, 2022, 10:23 p.m. ET
The terrier proceedings have assumed the feel of a college graduation that leaves the most popular/populous major for the end.
June 22, 2022, 10:22 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
One thing about terriers — there’s a lot of them.
June 22, 2022, 10:25 p.m. ET
No wonder they’ve been most recognized! More terriers, more titles. A logic puzzle even the Samoyed at its least mentally prepared might solve.
June 22, 2022, 10:29 p.m. ET
Do we have the technology to insert the Michael Jordan “And I Took That Personally” meme here? Except it’s Rebecca giving bulletin board material to a Samoyed?
June 22, 2022, 10:29 p.m. ET
Yes.
June 22, 2022, 10:32 p.m. ET
If the Samoyed wins, retires to play baseball, then wins again in three years, I look forward to seeing Rebecca get zinged in a 10-part documentary circa 2045.
June 22, 2022, 10:22 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
The energy from the crowd just picked up when the Sealyham terrier walked through.
June 22, 2022, 10:19 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
The Skye Terrier “is twice as long as he is high.” And also he has hair that totally obscures his eyes.
June 22, 2022, 10:22 p.m. ET
Sort of the opposite of Hello Kitty, who is five apples tall but only weighs three apples.
June 22, 2022, 10:18 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
In general, I prefer dogs who do not have heads that look like garden implements.
June 22, 2022, 10:16 p.m. ET
Eddie from “Frasier” appears to have entered the ring.
June 22, 2022, 10:16 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
You’ve got to feel sorry for a dog called a Rat Terrier, despite its purported “happy-go-lucky attitude.” (I actually met one walking in NYC recently. The owner was embarrassed to tell me what kind of dog it was! She sort of mumbled the word “rat,” as if hoping I would not hear it. The dog did not comment.)
June 22, 2022, 10:13 p.m. ET
Fourth wall breaks as Chris Myers, channeling Fred Willard all night, explicitly talks about the film “Best In Show.”
June 22, 2022, 10:12 p.m. ET
“Rob Lowe, among those who have owned … Fifty Cent — Fiddy Cent.” Broad coalition for the Miniature Schnauzer.
June 22, 2022, 10:14 p.m. ET
Reporting from the show in Tarrytown, N.Y.
I don’t know if that increases my appreciation for Rob Lowe, or for Schnauzers.
June 22, 2022, 9:44 p.m. ET
Striker, a Samoyed, won the working group, advancing to Best in Show. Arguably the most appealing dog of his entire group, with a fluffy white coat that makes him resemble a walking cloud, Striker got the most applause in his group. Don’t fret golden retriever fans: The applause did not reach golden levels.
This is the second year in a row that a Samoyed has won this group and the third time the breed has won in the event’s history; the other win came in 2016. Striker topped a group that featured Siberian huskies, mountain dogs and a Great Dane.
A Samoyed has never won Best in Show.
June 22, 2022, 8:39 p.m. ET
Wednesday night’s first winner was Belle, an English setter, who took the sporting group’s crown. This is the fifth win for the breed in Westminster history, and the first since 1982. The dog’s owner was fighting back tears after the win, and said that they will nap in the two-hour waiting period before Best in Show judging.
This win means the golden retriever will go another year without winning Westminster. The beloved breed drew the loudest ovation from the spectators at the Lyndhurst mansion, but fan adoration was not enough to carry a golden to victory.
Belle beat a group of spaniels, setters, and pointers that all drew significant applause from the crowd.
June 22, 2022, 7:30 p.m. ET
Welcome to the our live coverage of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, held this year in a tent in Tarrytown, N.Y. (It usually takes place annually in January at Madison Square Garden, but … Covid.)
Like George Clooney putting together his “Ocean’s Eleven” crew of charismatic criminals, we have assembled a crack team of dog experts from all parts of the paper.
On our team this evening: Myself, Kris Rhim, Michael Grynbaum, Matt Flegenheimer, Rebecca Ruiz and Benjamin Hoffman.
Many of us have dogs of our own; Grynbaum has a cat named Pajama. Later we might hear from some of these pets.
June 22, 2022, 7:00 p.m. ET
Donald Sturz, this year’s Best in Show judge, has spent the last few days sequestered in his hotel room, insulating himself from any news about which dog has won what prize in the competition so far.
“No Facebook, no nothing,” Sturz, 60, said by phone. “I’m staying off social media. I posted a picture of myself and my husband at the judges’ dinner party on Sunday night, and then I went radio silent.”
The idea, he said, is that when he enters the ring tonight, he will be free of preconceptions.
“Part of the dream of this judging assignment is that you walk out onto the floor and you have no idea who the seven dogs are who are coming in,” Sturz said.
Best in show judging requires skills that are both particular and peculiar. The dogs are not competing against each other, per se, but are judged according to how closely they adhere to a specific set of breed standards, as set down by the American Kennel Club.
“It comes down to the dog that possesses the most virtues as described for their breed,” Sturz said. “They also need to convey the essence of their breed in demeanor and character and carriage.”
With 209 different types of dog competing in the show, Sturz has to be intimately familiar with the breed standards of all of them. So he has been studying, mostly by looking at endless pictures of dogs in books and magazines and online, to cement in his head a template of each breed, a sort of Platonic ideal.
Regular people who watch dog shows often root for their favorite dogs — showy golden retrievers, for instance, elegant Afghan hounds or goofy sheepdogs — without realizing that those qualities don’t necessarily count as winning virtues in the eyes of the judge.
“There are some breeds that lend themselves to a show atmosphere,” Sturz said. “They are more active, flashier, more stylish and have more presence. But what we’re looking for is what the breed is supposed to convey. Some breeds are supposed to be more reserved and calm and regal, and that speaks just as much to a judge as the dog standing there wagging its tail and jumping up and down.”
In real life, Sturz is the superintendent of the Valley Stream 24 School District on Long Island. But he is also a lifelong dog enthusiast who has been attending dog shows for 50 years and judging for 32 of them, including at Westminster. This is the first time he will award Best in Show.
When he spoke, Sturz did not yet know that one of the dogs in the finals would be a French bulldog — and thus possibly a personal favorite, given that he has one, named Emmet, at home. (He also has a bull terrier, Lola.)
But he pledged that no matter what he was confronted with, he would judge as a neutral observer, without fear or favoritism.
“Dogs are works of art,” he said. “I love all breeds.”
June 22, 2022, 6:30 p.m. ET
Four of the seven group winners were decided on Tuesday, with three more to be determined tonight.
Keep an eye on the terrier category tonight, as the winner from that group often goes on to win Best in Show.
June 22, 2022, 6:00 p.m. ET
For a brief, shining moment last summer, Wasabi the Pekingese was the most celebrated dog in America, all hair and hauteur as he posed next to his best in show trophy at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
But what has happened to the old champion? Once a dog reaches the pinnacle of success, what does he do next?
A recent visit to East Berlin, Pa., found Wasabi chilling at home, already semiretired at the age of 4. Bestirring himself to say hello, he did not exactly run, but moved with all deliberate speed, his luxuriant locks wafting like wheat blowing in a breeze.
Do not rush a Pekingese. If there’s one thing about Wasabi, it’s that you are not the boss of him. “If I throw a toy for him, he’ll go get it, but he won’t bring it back,” said David Fitzpatrick, Wasabi’s breeder, handler and co-owner. “He knows I’m going to get it for him.”
June 22, 2022, 5:30 p.m. ET
Typically a midwinter event at Madison Square Garden, this is the second consecutive year that pandemic accommodations forced the show to be moved to June and to be held at Lyndhurst, a Gothic Revival country house in Tarrytown, N.Y., which has been a National Historic Landmark since 1966.
Fans of HBO’s “The Gilded Age” may recognize parts of the estate, as it served as a filming location for the show’s first season. Its exterior also served as the establishing shot for the mansion “Wildwind” in the soap opera “All My Children.”
June 22, 2022, 5:01 p.m. ET
So how do they pick the winner at Westminster anyway?
First, all the dogs compete against others from their breed: pug against pug, Plott hound against Plott hound. The 200 or so breed winners advance to compete against similar breeds in the group finals. The seven group winners then vie for the big prize: Best in Show, which will be judged by Don Sturz of Brooklyn. The decision is his and his alone.
What the judge is trying to ascertain is which dog best exemplifies its breed, and that breed’s intended function.
These are the seven groups:
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The hounds are hunting dogs like beagles and whippets. (Monday’s winner: Trumpet, a bloodhound.)
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The toys are small lap dogs like Shih Tzus and pugs. (Monday’s winner: Hollywood, a Maltese.)
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The non-sporting group could also be called the miscellaneous group. It includes dogs that don’t fit elsewhere like Dalmatians and chow chows. (Monday’s winner: Winston, a French bulldog.)
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The herding group was bred to herd and includes Old English sheepdogs and Border collies. (Saturday’s winner: River, a German shepherd.)
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The sporting dogs are retrievers and include Irish setters and various spaniels. (Winner chosen Wednesday.)
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The working group consists of dogs bred to perform a task and includes Great Danes and Doberman pinschers. (Winner chosen Wednesday.)
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The terriers include a host of varieties including fox terriers, Border terriers and many others. (Winner chosen Wednesday.)
And who is going to win? You can’t go too far wrong by guessing the terrier. That group has won 47 Best in Show prizes, far ahead of the second-placed sporting group with 18. The wire fox terrier has the most wins of any breed with 15.
Last year’s winner, though, was Wasabi, a Pekingese from the toy group.
June 22, 2022
An earlier version of this blog item misstated when the winners of the working, sporting and terrier groups would be awarded. It is Wednesday, not Tuesday.
June 22, 2022, 5:00 p.m. ET
More than 200 breeds are eligible for Westminster, and every year that number increases a little more.
For the 2022 competition, two dogs have been formally recognized by the American Kennel Club, officially joining the mix: the mudi and the Russian toy.
The mudi is a new entry in the herding group. Originally bred in Hungary, the mudi has a three-inch wavy-to-curly coat and was used to herd “the most stubborn livestock,” according to the kennel club. It also rooted out wild boar. On Monday, Luminary Alchemist became the first mudi to win at Westminster.
The tiny Russian toy was favored by the Russian aristocracy. Things didn’t turn out so well for them, but the toy has thankfully done better and has joined the Westminster field. Described by the kennel club as “active, cheerful, possessing keen intelligence, slightly aloof to strangers,” the breed has large eyes and high-set ears. Snou Mirekl Din Din won the first Russian toy competition at Westminster on Monday.
Neither the mudi nor the Russian toy advanced out the group stage on Tuesday, so fans tuning in to tonight’s television coverage will not get to see the newest official breeds.
June 22, 2022, 5:00 p.m. ET
You have come to the right place! The New York Times will be providing live coverage of Wednesday’s group finals and the awarding of Best in Show, with commentary, analysis and photos from Lyndhurst.
Television coverage in the United States will be on FS1, beginning with a preshow at 7 p.m. Eastern. In Canada, the event will be on Sportsnet One.
At 7:30, judging will begin in the finals for three undecided groups — sporting, working and terrier — with those champions competing against four group winners from Tuesday for Best in Show. Things are expected to wrap up around 11 p.m.
The event can be streamed on the Fox Now and Fox Sports apps. A Spanish-language version of the broadcast will air on Fox Deportes at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
While you wait, make sure to check out highlights of Bee, a Shetland sheepdog who was named the 2022 masters agility champion.
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